Asphalt-mixing plant



Juiy 17, 1928.

F. H. CUMMER ASPHALT MIXING PLANT Filed Dec. 13, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet F. H. CUMMER AS PHALT-MIXING PLANT July 17, 1928.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 13, 1926 Patented July 17, 1928.

FREDERICK H. CUMMER, or LOS ANGEL s; cAL1roRnIA."

ASPHALT-MIXING PLANT.

Application filed'Decemner 13, 1926. Serial No. 154,494.

This invention relates to so-called portable road plants of the type employed for preparing for application to a road bed to form a pavement thereon, ingredients (lelivered to the plant.

Such a road plant generally comprises a number of processing elements such as means for drying the crushed rock which forms part of the aggregate, heating the same during the drying process, adding other mate rials such as dust and cement, and thoroughly associating the combination ofmaterials to form the paving mixture.

The several processing elements necessary for accomplishing the desired result are commonly designed and assembled to form a unit which has become more or less standard in the art. The requirements ofthe unit aside from its functioning as describedgare portability and an arrangement of easy accessibility with reference to loadlng and more particularly dumping the output mixture as into dumpv trucks forimmediate delivery to the road bed.

Obviously the most desirable arrangement as to dumping is one in which the trucks may be driven immediately-beneath the discharge opening of the unit, which of course necessitates an elevation of the discha-rg opening above that of the truck.

In the standard units the arrangement is such as to employ gravity so far as possible in passing the ingredients through the several processing elements; and the drying and heating element being of relatively great size and weight, it has been found desirable that this element be POSltlOIlGCl lower in the unit, hence requiring the employment of an elevating conveyor for delivering the discharging contents of the 'heating element to the topof the stack of the remaining elements in the process.

The conveyor in operative position must therefore project below the mouth of the ance and sometimes possible to locate the plant for operation upon a spur of the track. 7

It is to meet these conditions that my'invention is directed, and the objects of the invention are therefore to provide an arrangement whereby astandard road plant unit may be employed, in connection with a carriage adapted for movement upon a railway track, so {that the unit may be both transportedupon the carriage and set up for operation thereon.

plant set up for operation, and Fig. 3 shows an alternate arrangement of plant and .carriage set up for operatiomand in dotted lines the position of the plant fortransportation.

In the drawings ,1 represents pair of railway tracks of the usual construction adaptupon the tracks 3 4 represents generally the road plant unit comprising a heating and tumbling barrel 5 mounted for rota-' tion over a fire box 6 and adapted when op- .ed to support the platform 2 for movement crating to discharge to the lower end of an elevating conveyor 7 by which the contents of the element 5 areelevated to a screening means 8 adapted to discharge into bins 9 which empty subject to proper control into a mixer 10. The mixer being the last element to function in the process for which. the plant is employed it is desirable as above described that the mixer be arranged to mixture may be conveyed to the road bed to which it is to be applied.

For transportation however, it is necessary'that the road plant unit be positioned upon the carriage in an arrangement affordingstability and minimum clearance, obviously somewhat as in Fig. 1.

According to my invention I mount the plant unit 4; not directly upon the platform 9. but insert therebetween a turn table 11, g

the exact construction of which is immate;

rial but comprises generally the pair of cirvcular'plates illustrated, secured respectively upon the frame of the road plant unit and the truck platform and interspaced by antifriction means such as radially extending empty directly to the trucks by whichthe 95 i rollers. By this means after the whole has been moved upon the tracks to'tlie location in which the plant is to be set up, the track wheels being locked the plant unit is rotated 90 degrees, from the position indicated in Fig. 1 to that iii'Fig. 2. For-stability the plant is secured in this position by insertion of the struts. 12 between the ground and the overhanging ends of the frame 13 of the plant unit. 'The elevating conveyor 7 may then be moved upon its axis 14 to erect position and the plant elements 8, 9 etc. also secured in operative arrangement. The plant is then ready for operation, the mixer overhanging the trucks 2 and with sufficient elevation so that trucks may be directly loaded from the usual discharge opening in the bottom of the mixer.

WVhen it is desired to move the plant to another location it is again arranged upon the truck as in Fig. 1 wherein the vertical and lateral clearances are within the necessary limits. I

Thearrangement in Fig. 3 is generally similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the exception that in place of the turntable arrangement described runners 15 are secured upon the plant unit for cooperation through rollers resting upon similar runners upon the platform 2 whereby instead of rotating upon a vertical axis, the plant may be moved longitudinally upon the platform to theoverhanging operative position indicated in full lines; the dot dash lines indicating the transporting arrangement of the unit corresponding with that of Fig. 1. I

.Bythe arrangement described a standard road plant unit, either new out of stock, or one previously carried by axles directly mounted on road wheels, is made easily and conveniently available in locations along railroads inaccessible by ordinary highways; and all at a minimum of expense.

.lVhat- I claim is:

1. In combination, a railway carriage provided with wheels, and a standard road plant mounted thereon, said road plant including the usual drying, elevatiiig, screening, and mixing means, the mixing means discharging by gravity, and said plant being movable on the carriage to either of two positions, in one of which all parts of the plant are contained within the railway clearance lines for transportation purposes, and

in the other of which the mixing end of the plant extendsbeyond the clearance lines to a position where the mixer can discharge by gravity into a container.

2'. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the standard road plant is mounted upon its own trams and said frame is movableas a unit on the railway carriage to the two positions described.

Apparatus according to claim 1 in FREDERICK H. GUMMER. 

